Kentucky Basketball: What to expect from the 2017 recruiting class
By Stuart Gill
Kentucky Basketball has once again brought in the nation’s most desirable group of recruits, but does that make them March Madness favorites?
The phrase “Kentucky has a loaded recruiting class” has become commonplace, but this year the Wildcats might have too much talent coming into their program.
Yes, there is such a thing.
They have eight incoming players, six of whom are five-star prospects, the other two being ranked as four-stars. Four of the recruits are guards, two small forwards, and two are big men. With their returners, Kentucky may end up sending close to 10 players to the NBA.
Can this be a bad thing? Last season Kentucky, along with fellow recruiting-powerhouse Duke, suffered from lineup complications caused by their abundance of talent. Well-known players such as Sacha Killeya-Jones and Wenyen Gabriel spent time on the sideline while their classmates built resumes to guarantee their lottery pick statuses, and the teams fell short of the National Championship.
Don’t get me wrong, Kentucky is going to put together another fantastic season in which they finish first in the SEC and claim a No. 1 seed in the final bracket. With this many NBA-ready players on the roster, the Wildcats could almost do that while taking every shot with their non-dominant hands.
Kentucky might not win the National Championship though, and, if you watched John Calipari’s 30-for-30, you’d know this does not bother him. By bringing in this many talented players in addition to the renowned recruits already lining his bench, Calipari is proving he is serious when he says he cares more about sending players to the NBA than winning championships.
Some of Kentucky’s incoming freshman are going to experience untold amounts of individual success next season, much like De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Edrice Adebayo did a year ago. Others will ride the bench, forced to put their NBA dreams on hold for at least a year because there are only so many minutes in every game. And, in my opinion, Kentucky’s season will end with a loss in the NCAA Tournament to a team that is more focused on playing together and winning every ballgame.
However, the individualistic culture that Calipari has fostered will make for another exciting season. Let’s take a look at how each of the incomers will fare in their first season in Lexington.